


Little Lion Man

by Adi (Littlelionman15)



Series: Thunder [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Agents of SHIELD Pre-Season 5 Space Speculation, F/M, M/M, Not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Compliant, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 06:15:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14514294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlelionman15/pseuds/Adi
Summary: For the first time since the events of CA:Civil War, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers speak about Tony's biological son, Fox, and the role Steve had in his rescue from a Hydra facility.Fox asks Daisy Johnson for a favor.





	Little Lion Man

**Author's Note:**

> the name isn't related to the story itself - it was just the song by "mumford & sons" I was listening to while writing, so to honor it, I've named the chapter after it.

„Thank you.“ his voice is soft and mellodic, even through the speaker of his phone. „You saved him.“  
„It's my responsibility, Tony.“ the strong  voice on the other end of the line responded.  
„You risked your own freedom and life for Fox.“  
Silence filled out the long minute before any of them spoke. It wasn't weird; a lot had changed since the fight in Siberia. Tony would still wake up at night – even though it was two years ago – and raise his hands over his face in order to protect it from the cold, metal shield. Steve, the one who fled to Wakanda that day, had been eaten up with guilt. He regretted it; he knew it was the wrong choice to make. He'd think of it every day when he looked at Bucky's silver eyes. He knew why he did what he did: to protect Bucky. His childhood friend, his brother in arms – the only one who knew how Steve felt, misplaced in time. To lose him would be worse than death to Steve.  
„I love that kid, Tony.“ he said, somewhat more softly this time. His voice became gentle. „He's like a son to me.“ Steve shut his eyes, thinking back to all the moments they shared. The time he helped Fox choose his first suit, which Fox repeatedly called „a bad Captain America cosplay“; the time Steve taught him to shave without cutting himself; all the hours they spent training together, and him watching Fox become an experienced hand-to-hand fighter. He also remembered the time Fox lost control, and Skybreaker almost singlehandedly destroyed Seattle, the mortified look in his dark eyes as he gasped for air and looked at Steve. The time Fox's heart stopped.  
„What does Jemma say?“ he asked.  
Tony pinched his glabella, the area of the nose between his eyes. „He should be fine.“ Tony responds, „Hydra messed him up pretty badly. But he's a strong kid. He'll make it through.“  
A faint, barely visible smile lifted the edges of his lips. „He will.“ he assured him.  
Tony sat there, his legs crossed and a headache thundering in his head. It was only a second before he asked Steve when he'll be back, when he realized that Captain isn't coming back anymore. He opposed 117 countries of the UN by rescuing Bucky that day. He's a wanted criminal, a vigilante now. There's no way he'd come back.  
„My battery is low.“ Tony lied. „I should get going, Capt – sorry, _Steve_.“  
„I should go now, Steve.“  
Steve gave up the mantle of Captain America moments after the battle in Siberia. The guilt of what he had done under it was choking him. „Okay.“ he responded.  
„Goodbye, Steve.“  
„Goodbye, Tony. It was nice to hear your voice.“

 

„Hey, kid.“ the sound of the familiar voice danced into Fox's ears. A little smile popped up on his face, lifting his lips up and making the all-familiar dimples appear. „Hey, old man.“ his voice was cracked. „What's up?“  
Tony sat back into his chair, right next to Fox's bed. He didn't even notice his hand was firmly connected to his sons, almost as if he was holding on for his life. He relaxed the grip a bit, and even though he didn't say anything, Fox showed a bit of relief on his face. His big eyes were tired, the capillaries in the corners red, and the circles underneath them a dark pink. _Surgery really exhausted him_ , Tony thought. It was nice to finally have him back, even though the guilt was burning Stark up from the inside.  
__  
He was the one who let him go.  
_He_ was the one who sent him there.  
_He_ wasn't there to help.  
It was _his_ fault, all of it.  
Fox gently grabbed Tony's hand with his. „Go.“ he ordered, „Eat, sleep, shower. Take a break, Stark. You've been sitting in that chair ever since I've gotten here. You should get some sleep.“  
„I'm fine, kid.“ Tony smiled, the charming crooked smirk stealing the spotlight from his tired eyes, whose sparks went out a long time ago. It was true – a nap was much needed. But he won't leave his son's side – especially not now, when he had almost lost him. „Really, I am.“  
„Don't insult my IQ“ the youngster said through a laugh, „I know you. You need to rest. I'll be fine, I promise. I'm not going anywhere.“  
„You _do_ always keep your promises.“  
„I do.“ he smiled.  
„Maybe I could use a few minutes of sleep.“ Tony finally confessed, and the father and son  shared a laugh. He stood up, and a few steps away from exiting the door, he looked back at Fox. Just before he could say anything, Fox jumped in. „Go, big guy. I'll be here when you come back.“  
Tiredness had finally caught up on him. His eyes were chestnut brown and tired, and his walk did a great job showing it. Once Tony Stark, the bravest man Fox ever met, left the room, something inside him finally snapped; something broke. It was the pain from the cuts in his back, under his patellae – where Hydra's butchers, as Jemma calls them, inserted tubes into his bone marrow. He was hardly moving because of it. When he told Tony he isn't going anywhere, he wasn't joking. He was barely moving his feet when Jemma instructed him to do so. These weren't the only incisions they made, though. His chest and abdomen were covered in cuts, two under each rib – to extract as much of samples of the soft and vulnerable core of his being.  
„Hey there, sleeping beauty.“  
Fox turned towards the direction of the familiar voice. It was Daisy. A faint smile popped up on his face after he rushingly swept away the tears before she could notice them. She sat in Tony's chair, and looked at him. She was smiling, too. It was nice to see her. She was like a breath of fresh air. „Anyway“ Daisy says after a minute of silence, „I've brought you some things from the outside world. Huh, where do I start?“  
She reached into the brown paper bag and her messy bangs were falling into her eyes as she looked down. The first thing she took out was a cactus. „Look“ she says, „I wanted to bring you actual flowers – _daisies_ , but I figured it was maybe a bit narcissistic. So, here's a cactus for you.“  
She placed the spiky plant on the tiny desk next to his bed. The smile on his face widened and for the first time in a while, he could think about something other than pain. „And this – oh God, I've searched the whole city for it. It's limited edition.“ She then told him to close his eyes and spread out his palms, then she put a small, cold can in them. After he opened his eyes again, he laughed. „Where did you even – „ he stopped, admiring the small tin can in his hands, „And how? Oh, Daisy you're a legend. I can't believe this.“ It wasn't much – just a small tin can in his pale hands. It was a canned ice tea. The tea itself wasn't anything special, though; it were the memories tied to it. The two ragtags, Daisy Johnson and Fox Cooper would sneak out of the orphanage every night and go to the nearby gas station to buy it. They saved as much money as they could for the small, delicious sensation. She noticed the smile on his face. It was a honest one, not forced or faked – it was genuine smile that came from the heart. It made her heart beat a little faster.  
„To continue –„ she kept on going, „I've brought you chocolate. Lots of it. I ate some on the way here, you won't be mad, right?“  
He nodded.  
How could he be mad? This was the nicest thing someone had done for him in a long, long time. The pain didn't matter anymore; it faded away. It was as if the sun had begun shining again, after a long and scary thunderstorm. „Daisy“ her name rolled of his chapped lips. „I need to ask you for something.“  
Her eyes widened with curiosity. „Spit it out, Cooper.“  
His throat was dry. _What if she thinks it's crazy?_  
  
„Yeah, no. I definitely see no flaw in that plan.“ the sarcasm in her voice made him smile.  
„Why would you even want that?“  
She didn't say it, but she thought about it, too. When Fox asked her to expose him to terrigen again in order to activate his genes again, she refused. The idea had crossed her mind, but it would require taking more samples of his DNA, and exposing him to _that_ was not an option. He had suffered enough already. She saw the pain in his tired eyes when she'd catch him looking elsewhere. They were empty and broken. Those weren't the eyes she knew her whole life.  
„Because I'm useless without my powers, Daisy.“ he sighed.  
She frowned instantly and stabbed him with a look from her sharp, brown eyes. She was ready to unleash a storm on him, but he knew her long enough to expect that, so he explained himself before she could even open her mouth.  
„I was able to throw dozens of Hydra and AIM's soldiers across the room with a simple gesture of my hand. I was able to fly fast enough to rescue civilians from buildings, to save them from becoming collateral damage. The genetic council said that I would be able to level mountains if I concentrated hard enough. See my point, D?“  
She understood him. God, how wouldn't she? Her powers became a part of her, took a place at the core of her being. They were destined to be hers. She understood how it felt to want them so badly. But how would she tell him that? How would she tell him that he was right, and that she would want the same – yet wanted to protect him from any pain and disappointment that it may cause?  
„Fox.“ she said softly, embracing his hand with hers. „Your powers aren't what makes you who you are.“ He looked at her, tears having already filled out his eyes. „You know that's not true.“  
„It is.“ she insisted.  
 She knew it wasn't true. The wounds will never fully heal. He won't be able to fight as he used to – basically, his life as an Avenger or a SHIELD agent was over. How would she tell him that?  
For a moment, Daisy didn't say anything. She couldn't – she'd be a hypocrite if she did.  
„I'll talk to Jemma.“ she promised. She grabbed his hand more firmly, and his chest deflated with relief. „I'm not promising anything, though.“  
The edges of his tired lips curled up in a smile. There were tears, yes – but they were tears of relief and happiness. „Thank you.“  
She smiled again, wiping away the few stranded tears from her cheeks. „Anything for my partner in crime.“  
  



End file.
